Birthdays & Bright Dresses

My great-grandma, grandma, and mom are all born this month.

When they found out I was to be born in  August, too, they were ecstatic. Four generations, born in the same month. For my family, August is a month of joy and celebration. On this first day of August, we look forward to four weeks of constant phone calls and greeting cards; anticipation and high levels of energy. And on the actual days? Even more phone calls. Even more emails and messages and wishes from loved ones near and far.

I celebrate my August birthday in a different way each year. Year one was an event of its own. My parents rented out a hall, and 200 friends and family members gathered to celebrate with me. It was a flurry of party hats, catered food, and of course a larger-than-life cake. I only wish I could've known what was going on. :)

Year seven was another memorable birthday year. All my second-grade friends surprised me at Young Chef's Academy, where we made our own mini-pizzas and decorated chefs' hats. We drank pitchers of  pink lemonade, and I opened presents while everyone sat eagerly alongside the table.

My next eventful birthday was my tenth- it was a gathering of my closest friends at a pizza parlor, followed by a terrific sleepover with popcorn and a scary movie. Being so young, as much as we wanted to stay up all night, it was next to impossible. We fell asleep at two. :)

Each birthday has been full of memories of its own. It's been a wonderful flurry of activities, these past years. As my family gears up for August 2015, I'm so thankful to everyone who has made my life so special.

And another birthday, this time out of the family, but special all the same. Happy Birthday to my good friend Alisa! Make sure to wish her. I know it'd make her day.